


I'm okay!

by UnlimitedSkye



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Misunderstandings, Team Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-06-08 18:32:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15249429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnlimitedSkye/pseuds/UnlimitedSkye
Summary: The newly built door opens with a swift push, and they all make their way inside without much thought- “Riku? What are yo-”Only to be met with a horrifying sight as Nanase Riku sits on the ground in a small puddle of red, coughing slightly into his palm that is stained in what could only be blood.Or:Riku drops paint and the whole team misunderstands.





	I'm okay!

**Author's Note:**

> Originally intended it to be crack but it turned out pretty... normal?  
> In any case, I really enjoy straight up team bonding and don't find much of it in this fandom so I decided to write some! Hopefully my writing is decent and I've managed to keep them in character? Enjoy!

It all happened so fast.

Maybe it really wasn't a good idea to enter the set room so soon after construction- Riku felt a constant sting in his chest as the lingering saw dust tickled his lungs.

_I’ll be okay._

A soft sigh and yawn- _i n h a l e_ .The pain in his chest enhances and it dissolves into a coughing fit. He hasn't had any in a long time - _that's why he so naturally yawned-_ he's always been so careful too.

But, that's fine, really, Riku isn't downplaying it. These small fits are fine.

He shifts his right hand to cover his mouth, as his left is already clutching his chest at the small bursts of pain. Unfortunately, amidst it all is enough for Riku to lose hold of the half empty paint bucket that he was delivering.

The metal bucket connects with the concrete floor, ringing loudly within the near empty set room. The paint makes Riku slip, the klutz that he is, panicking as he spills paint everywhere.

 

\---

 

It makes all of them wince.

“What _was_ that? That was- _really_ loud.”

“I think it came from the set room… Riku’s been there all morning.”

“... I guess we might as well check on him.”

They make their way through the corridor pondering what kind of mess their centre could've made. He's not the carefullest of them all, but he isn't usually one for big trouble either.

The newly built door opens with a swift push, and they all make their way inside without much thought- “Riku? What are yo-”

Only to be met with a horrifying sight as Nanase Riku sits on the ground in a small puddle of red, coughing slightly into his palm that is stained in what could only be blood.

 

\---

 

“Riku!”

Riku keeps his eyes closed, heavy and concentrated on trudging through the last of his coughing and stabilising his breathing.

He can hear his teammates rushing close by, frantic about… something.

Oh.

“... I-I'm”, a pause, “… s-sorry.. about…”

“Save your breath,” says Yamato, voice slightly pitched, “there’s nothing to be sorry about.”

“...B-but...I-”

“None of this is your fault.”

It’s something Riku has heard many times.  
Not trusting his voice, he nods his head slowly.

Ahh, I've ruined the new set already!

“But more importantly, Nanase-san, are you alright?”

 _What?_ He's hardly the one they should worry about!

Peeling his eyelids open, the bright ceiling lights immediately forces them shut again. When his eyes finally adjust, Riku sees Iori’s worried eyes staring right back.

“I-I'm okay!”, the words past through Riku’s mouth before registering in his mind- he hates seeing people worried about him.

“Are you kidding? This is the worst I've seen you!”

“E-eh??”

“Riku-kun, just hang on- I’ll call the hospital right now.”

“Sogo-san! Stop!” Riku reaches and grabs onto the former’s arm - _subtly_ _shaking and attempting to dial a number that Riku is too familiar with_ \- only to watch red seep through white.

 

\---

 

There's a short but visible moment of shock in Riku’s eyes as he seems to fully register his surroundings.

It's something they all see- enough to crack the last of their frozen distress with slight confusion.

As much of an idiot Riku is, they all know that he's definitely capable of recognising the severity of his condition. Yes, he may try to deny it _(he really shouldn't)_ , but a moment of shock from himself is- _strange_.

Riku pauses and stares at his own hand, then, squints his eye at the offending puddle of red.

 

\---

 

Oh God. This might just be a horrifying misunderstanding.

“W-wait! No really I'm okay! T-this isn-”

“Hey!” interrupts Mitsuki, “We're not dumb enough to believe that this is ketchup or something!”

“That's right,” says Tamaki, “just because you’re good at hiding it from the fans doesn't mean that you can hide it from us!”

“No! B-but- ahhh!” his hands go through a rapid change of motion and gestures as a million thoughts overload his head, settling on the most important matter- “Sogo-san I'm sorry about your shirt!”

“That's fine Riku-kun,” Sogo-san says softly, careful as if treading through dangerous waters, “you can dye my shirt in red if that means you're okay, but please just let me make the call to the hospital.”

“I-I don't need to go to the hospital!”

“Oh Riku!” says Nagi, “We know you spend a lot of time in the hospital,” he places a hand on his heart - _and Riku can almost see tears welling up from his eyes-_ “if you're worried it would be lonely we could watch Magical Girl Kokona together!”

“I really appreciate the thought but-”

“If Rikkun doesn't like the ambulance I can carry you free of charge!” Tamaki chimes in, eyes filled with determination.

 _Charge_ -? What is going on? They're definitely overreacting!

Riku flips his head around, desperately searching for the offending red paint bucket. His teammates remain confused and worried, intently observing his every move. But alas, they’ve somehow managed to cover his entire view of the room by forming a protective circle around him, despite having what Riku could only imagine as uncomfortable paint slowly seeping through their long and fashionable trousers.

Riku makes a move to stand, only to be securely pushed down by Iori.

“Nanase-san, I advise not standing up so soon!”

It’s unusual to see Iori so panic-stricken- it’s easy to overload him with improper etiquette, but to see fear in his eyes and hear quivering from his voice is unsettling. He’s generally calm, smart and analytical. If anyone, Riku thinks he would've been the one to figured it out by now.

Yamato-san flickers from the corner of his vision. It's clear that despite his general isolation and detachment in these situations, he's worried enough to have his emotions take over. It’s something Riku would like to see more often, but perhaps not from a dire situation like this.

Sogo-san is in a similar position- phone still in hand, although no longer desperate to call the hospital just yet. He really does remind Riku of Tenn-nii, kind hearted and always looking out for him- and in a moment like this, he, just like Tenn-nii, would not realise the problem because of the overflowing worry.

Mitsuki carries an energetic demeanour but is very quick to jump in and defend any of them, at times, Riku thinks they would all agree that he’s the maturest of them all. As of right now, Mitsuki is very clearly set on “ _making sure that Riku stops pushing himself”_ and therefore hard to reason with.

Nagi is almost always happy and ready to cheer any of them up at a moment’s notice, although he sometimes becomes mysteriously reliable and stern, he generally remains playful and excited. It’s unlikely that he’ll notice.

Tamaki is strong- he’s young and childish but really does try his best to help and better himself. Riku can’t stop the feeling of guilt knowing that Tamaki has to see such a terrifying sight, especially because he’s expressed dislike for occasions like this multiple times.

He's out of options.

“Mou!!!” Riku yells out in frustration. “This is paint! I slipped and fell onto red paint!”

A moment of silence follows his outburst, and just as Riku thinks he might’ve calmed his teammates down enough to explain the situation, they barge in just as stubborn as himself.

“Paint is more realistic than ketchup but you're still not going to fool us!” replies Mitsuki.

“Riku, you shouldn't be yelling so soon after an at-”

“I’m not going to stop until you guys listen!” Riku yells louder, overpowering the other. It leaves a bitter distaste in his mouth- to so rudely interrupt his wonderful friends, to so rudely interrupt _anyone_ just so they would listen to him.

But, it’s something he has to do. He’s only got himself to rely on!

“Yes I may have had a small coughing fit-”

“ _So you admit it-?!_ ”

“ _But_ ” Riku emphasizes, “I recovered, a-and it just _looks_ bad because I spilt red paint everywhere!”

_“I guess it doesn’t really smell like blood…”_

“Yes-!”, it’s difficult for Riku to make out the voices of his teammates now, trying to ignore and press on, “I think I made a really loud noise when I dropped the bucket too-” he says, racking his brain for more ways to clarify the situation, “-it’s somewhere in this room… and I’m really sorry about ruining the set so soon- I should’ve been more careful- I-I’ll clean it up myself- I'll explain it to the manager- and I’m really sorry that I made you guys worry so much-!”

“Riku!-” “Rikkun!-” “Riku-kun!-” “Nanase-san!-”

One’s voice cannot be louder than six united.

“Please calm down!-”  
“We understand now!-”

“I-I’m sorry-” Riku begins-

“Don’t apologise.” Says Yamato-san, “If anything we should apologise for jumping to conclusions.”

“That’s right,” says Sogo-san, “I should have checked to see if you were all right and listened to you before trying to call the hospital.”

“ _So this isn’t blood-?”_

“ _No Yotsuba-san, it’s red paint spilled from that bucket over there.”_

“But Riku, you’ve got it all wrong!” Says Mitsuki, “What’s with all the I’s? IDOLiSH7 is a we!”

“Yes!” Says Nagi, “It can’t be helped that you spilled the paint, and we should’ve realised sooner than to let you work in a room filled with dust. We’ll clean this up together!”

“Guys…” _What did I do to deserve friends like this?_

“But next time don’t go… don’t go doing all of _this_ again,” says Mitsuki, vaguely gesturing to all of Riku, “the only reason why we didn’t believe you is because you always try to tell us you’re okay when you’re not!”

“Y-yes!”

“Nanase-san, why don’t you go rest outside for now? Afterall you did have an attack, no matter how small.”

“I’m oka-” Riku stops himself before he can finish.

_Try again._

“I’m okay!” He says, “But I’ll go outside and catch my breath first.”   

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
